You Can Go
by Breyvan
Summary: Yoruichi has kidnapped Soifon in order to spend some time with her since Soi has been avoiding Yoruichi - Will Yoruichi be able to win back her little bee's heart? My own spin off from Bellatrix28's story titled 'Undecided' who allowed me to post it
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach...think that is kinda obvious.**

As said in the summary, Yoruichi has kidnapped Soifon in order to spend more time with the captain.

Ok well I read Bellatrix28's Undecided and fell in love with it and later that day after reading chapter 6 inspirtation struck for quite a few scenes in the setting that was created in that story. Hopefully it works well for those who havent read Undecided and for any that have done so as well.

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><p><strong>You Can Go<strong>

The day had been in one word perfect, though if she was being more truthful to herself it was far from it but out of the days she'd been able to trap her younger friend with her, it was the best one so far and Yoruichi was determined to make sure that the evening was just as good, or hopefully even better. She had already called Kisuke earlier and made sure he got all the equipment needed for their return and she received a confirmation text from him that simply read 'It's done.' A small smile danced across her lips as she pictured how things might play out if she was really, really...ok _really _lucky.

"Yoruichi – focus on the road please." Yoruichi glanced at Soifon, noticing she seemed a little tense after Yoruichi switched lanes to overtake a slower driver despite how fast they were actually going.

Yoruichi couldn't help but grin back at Soifon, either she was starting to get used to being around herself again or Soi had just lowered a wall, she suspected it was more a case of the latter but the younger woman was becoming more vocal in her responses and actually seemed to enjoy holding a conversation that lasted more than a couple of sentences again and the biggest breakthrough of the day was that she hadn't seen Soifon plotting an escape route.

"And here I thought you liked travelling fast." Yoruichi teased, not slowing down as she easily overtook another "slow" driver, who pounded their car horn at her as she sped past them.

"It's not the speed...it-it's being stuck inside a tin can. It's not the same as being able to run and move freely as one would wish." A comfortable silence settled between the two of them at her words, aware that her guard had slipped briefly, Soifon blushed at her own words but couldn't help but wonder if that's what her former senpai felt as she flash stepped wherever she pleased...freedom. They remained that way for some time, both not wanting to break the silence yet both feeling the need to. Yoruichi glanced at Soifon once more; she was leaning against the window, her eyes unfocused as she gazed out across the surrounding area that they were passing through. _She's so beautiful...so serene... _Her thoughts were broken as Soifon's grey eyes locked onto her golden gaze. Yoruichi took a deep breath in hopes of steadying her voice as she felt like she had been caught with her hand inside the cookie jar.

"Hey Soi. See that button by the door handle." Yoruichi nodded as Soi indicated to what looked like a smaller version of a light switch with an odd symbol etched onto it, "Hold it down and the window will open." Soifon did as instructed and held down the button like switch and watched as the window went down automatically, letting the wind roar through the opening and whip through her hair, Soi relaxed as she felt some of the tension in her body being blown away at the familiar sensation. "It doesn't compare to shunpo," Yoruichi continued, smiling as Soifon leaned her head out the window to get a better feel of the wind rushing through her hair. "But it does help."

_You're right Yoruichi-sama._ Soifon thought as she closed her eyes to enjoy feeling the wind rushing across her skin and through her hair more. _It does help._

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><p>Soi paused mid stride, her ears straining to make sense of the sounds she was hearing. <em>It sounds like singing; <em>she turned to look at Yoruichi who appeared to be as confused as she was as they moved through the shop towards the back door that lead to the living area of said building. It was very clear that it was singing and it was coming from the other side of the shoji that the pair now stood in front of, Soi hesitated, unsure if she really wanted to face whatever scene was playing out behind the screen door. She wasn't able to recognise the song itself due to how off key it sounded although she was fairly certain that the voice belonged to that of Urahara Kisuke.

Yoruichi quickly grew bored as the captain continued to stand in front of the shoji without moving to open it. "Bah, you're gonna stand there all day, come on." She for one was looking forward to what awaited them inside the next room so she quickly slid the door open and dragged Soifon with her.

All of her fears were confirmed as Yoruichi pulled her into the room and her eyes confirmed what she had been listening to – Kisuke stood in front of the TV, singing into a microphone as words scrolled across the screen while some animated character was dancing around. Kisuke smiled and waved to them both and continued to sing, even louder than before. Soifon turned to Yoruichi in hopes of her being able to explain why Kisuke was singing. The only thing that did was cause her stomach to tighten at the sight of the wicked grin that was fixed on the Goddesses face and she noticed it spreading wider as Yoruichi pulled Soifon further into the room and pushed her down on the sofa beside Jinta and Ururu who were watching Kisuke, Jinta appeared bored while Ururu had her trademark expression fixed upon her face.

"What is he doing?" Soifon asked, blinking a few times to check that she was in fact still seeing the man dance on the spot, apparently matching the moves to the symbols that were now popping up on the screen as well.

"We bought a new game – this one allows for more than just two players so we can all get a lot of more time playing on it instead of waiting to take turns so much." Ururu explained, she was bobbing her head in time with the music playing from the system, Jinta still looked rather bored while Yoruichi was studying the small box Soi assumed was this new game.

Kisuke turned around; beaming at them all from the rather high score he had gotten after performing the finishing pose of the song. "Alright, who wants to go next?" His eyes fell on Soifon who just glared right back at him. Ururu pushed herself up and took the control he was offering and began flicking through the songs listed. Kisuke meanwhile had flopped down in Ururu's seat next to Soifon who visibly stiffened at having the man so close to her. Yoruichi chuckled silently at Soi's behaviour around Kisuke. She knew that Soi disliked the goofy looking man and that she should most likely find a way to get him to move to not ruin the good mood that Soifon had showed today but it was amusing to watch the two interact with one another that Yoruichi made up her mind to leave him where he was, besides, if Soi got too annoyed at him, her little bee would let him know just that.

Yoruichi focused on the now dancing Ururu as she noticed Soi turn to look at her, puzzlement etched across her face. It was not the first time she had caught Yoruichi staring at her during her time spent at the shop, truthfully she still considered it as being kidnapped by her former senpai but after their meal together a few days ago, she figured it would easier to go along with what Yoruichi had planned in hopes that she would be allowed to return to the Seireitei faster than trying to escape. All of this time constantly around Yoruichi was starting to break down the wall she had built and it was getting harder to stop her mind and her heart from overreacting to the Princess's actions. If she didn't want all her time and efforts in trying to control her feelings go to waste, she would have to confront Yoruichi soon and ask to leave and return to the Soul Society.

For now though, Soi settled for watching Ururu perform the moves that appeared on the screen and she could worry about how to approach Yoruichi later. Jinta was busy laughing whenever the girl fell out of the beat when the fast moves came up, Ururu didn't seem to mind him doing so as she did this a few times and laughed as well, Kisuke was trying to give her tips but she had picked a fast song so his couching was slow by a few steps and proved useless. Tessai was nowhere to be seen, she assumed he was somewhere in the kitchen but couldn't smell any proof of his cooking.

Yoruichi leapt up from her perch on the arm of the sofa when Ururu's song came to a finish, eager to get her turn in next, a wicked glint in her eyes as she turned on Soifon, who leaned as far back into the chair as she possibly could, already knowing what the Princess wanted.

"Come on Soi, I promise you'll have fun." Yoruichi pouted, almost pleading the captain to join in with her. Soifon was looking anywhere she possible could to avoid Yoruichi's gaze, showing no sign of getting up to dance with her.

"No way." Soifon stated, still doing her dammed best to find the floor very interesting.

"Don't be that way Soi-chan; it's not so bad once you get the hang of it." Kisuke chimed in from beside her. If looks could maim and torture, Kisuke would be burning to death in a pit of fire from the one he received off Soifon for referring to her that informally. Yoruichi came to his aide by yanking Kisuke out from under the glare, telling him that he can dance with her then.

"I'll let you off this round but the next song I want to see you move." Yoruichi winked at her. Soifon felt her face instantly burn up from catching the playful wink combined with the sultry tone of voice that was used. She was silently angry at herself for wanting the next song to be now so that she could be the one standing next to Yoruichi instead of him.

The music now playing distracted her briefly and she risked looking at the two of them dancing, her eyes now fixed on Yoruichi as she moved her body to the fixed tempo, matching the rhythm perfectly with the sway of her hips. Having spent little to no time in the world of the living and she had no idea what song was playing but she didn't need to know it to understand that she was mesmerized by the way Yoruichi was moving to the beat and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't take her eyes off the dancing Goddess.

She couldn't help it, in her mind Soi saw herself dancing behind Yoruichi, her arms snaking their way around the older woman's arms, moving as she moved as if they were one. She pulled Yoruichi closer into her body, their bodies now pressed up one another and she had to bite back a groan as her Goddess's hips brushed against hers as they continued to move and sway in time with the steady pulsing tempo..._oh God stop it Soi, calm down. _She mentally berated herself as she snapped out of the fantasy to see Yoruichi grinning at her as she continued to dance and it was then that she realised she was bobbing along with the music.

"Kisuke, tag out!" Yoruichi chimed as she broke out of the tempo trance and literally pulled Soifon off the chair and to her feet and before the captain could make any protests, Kisuke had already planted the controller firmly in her hand and vacated back to his spot on the sofa.

"I-I don't how to use this..." Soi's attempt to get out of this situation failed miserable as even she didn't believe that lie since she had picked it up instantly from watching the others that you simple moved the controller in time with the animated characters – the poses flashing up in the corners to let you know what to do next as well. It was fairly easy to understand so she wasn't surprised when Yoruichi just scoffed at her excuse.

"Don't worry, it's easy. Besides, if you get really lost – I'll help you." Yoruichi flashed her catlike grin as she fell back into the rhythm effortlessly; keeping Soi in her sights as the younger captain stood stock still, obviously trying to work out another excuse to get away as she glared at the controller in her hand with distaste. "You keep that up and there's no way you'll be able to beat me at this." Yoruichi teased, appealing to Soi's competitive side.

Soi's grey eyes appeared silver as the light caught them when she looked up into Yoruichi's golden gaze. Determination set across the captain's face and Yoruichi knew it had worked, "We'll see about that." The captain responded, her focus now on the screen before her as moved the controller upwards, matching the image on the screen perfectly.

Yoruichi grinned as things seemed to be working out for her today very well where Soifon was concerned and despite the captain starting off rather awkwardly matching her movements to the ones indicated on the screen she knew when Soi began to actually listen to the music as her movements became more fluid as she lost herself to the tempo. It was then Yoruichi noticed what Soi was doing.

Soi was smiling, not only was she smiling, it was directed straight at Yoruichi. Gut wrenching pain ripped through her body at seeing that smile form on Soi's lips. 'How can she smile at me like that after everything I put her through?' If asked, Yoruichi wouldn't know how to describe it to anyone, she was in top physical condition but at that moment she saw Soi's perfect smile aimed at her and her alone – it was simply too much. All her strength failed her, any experience she could draw from escaped her, _I-I can't...can't fight this..._ fear struck her as it felt like she couldn't breathe as a terrible weight settled on her chest, her heart pounded in desperation as emptiness closed in all around her.

A voice – someone was speaking to her, "Ha, I barely just beat you." _It sounds like she is happy; _Yoruichi barely noticed the words, just the tone of her voice and the triumphant look in her eyes. _I don't have any right to look in those eyes anymore,_ the numbness coursing through her body dug deeper at this thought and she swiftly looked away from the proud captain, her eyes sinking low to the ground.

"That's good." Yoruichi was surprised at how steady her voice sounded. "Need to grab a drink," she lied to her without even looking in the direction of where Soifon stood so she didn't see the look of confusion flash across the captain's face at her odd behaviour or how Kisuke dipped his head, his hat shadowing his eyes as he studied Yoruichi's movements. It had been a very long time since he had ever seen the woman move as if the weight of the world had just come crashing down on her, no matter what the situation was.

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><p>Yoruichi all but stumbled into the kitchen, her hands gripping onto the nearest counter as her legs felt like they could no longer support her weight; her arms trembled as her grip tightened on the counter as she focused on breathing in hopes of dispelling the weight that seemed to be crushing her chest.<p>

"Yoruichi?" She noticed the concern in his voice.

_Kisuke...How long has he been there? _Yoruichi pushed off the counter, not turning around to look at him as she forced herself forward towards the other open shoji, the only other means of escape that didn't take her back there. The pain tightened around her at that thought and she barely made it to the wall for support in time.

"Not now Kisuke." She cringed. Her voice didn't sound likes hers at all – it was cracked and broken, it betrayed what she was really feeling. She was grateful when she heard him back out of the room without saying a word, giving her the space she desired. They understood one another; it's why they got along no matter what was going on. She leaned her head against the wall and allowed her eyes to slide shut, seeking solitude from its support.

"Yoruichi-sama?" Her eyes snapped open, unsure if she had fallen asleep or had become lost in nothing, all sense of time had vanished.

"Kisu-" _Sama...oh no, no, not now..._ Yoruichi pressed her head harder against the wall, hoping she would vanish through it. She forced her legs to work, pushing herself forward as she heard her move closer. _Please...not now...I can't..._ she saw the stairs leading upstairs, _please understand..._ she heard the captain call out to her again as she flash stepped to the top of the stairs, falling short of a step as the second squad captain jumped ahead of her, standing on the top step to block her pathway.

"What's the matter?" Yoruichi heard what Soifon asked her this time though had no idea on how to answer. "You can tell me," Soi added with concern flooding her voice. _Gods how can you...after everything I-I've done to you...how can you be worried over me? _It became too much for the dark skinned Goddess and her legs gave way and she simply waited for the pain from her fall to take over as she lacked the will to brace herself.

Firm hands gripped her and she found herself slumped against the stairs as the hands continued to hold her in place when Soi realised the Princess was making no attempts to take control of her body at all. It was the first time Soi felt scared for her former senpai, never had she seen Yoruichi like this, it was like she had given up. The smiling, teasing woman she had always known was now collapsed in her arms against the stairs and it didn't feel right at all. If there was anything she could do to bring back her smiling Goddess, Soifon would do it, no matter what it was. She also realised that Yoruichi hadn't looked at her at all since she had found her slumped against the wall and this thought also scared the younger woman.

"Look at me." She commanded softly. The older woman made no movement whatsoever. _Little bee..._ "Yoruichi-sama...look at me." The captain repeated, a little louder than before..._I don't know what I can do..._Yoruichi thought as she felt a hand move under her chin, tilting her face upwards to face Soifon, her eyes taking in the captain's worried expression._..to make it up to you, _Yoruichi closed her eyes so she didn't have look into Soi's eyes anymore..._sorry just isn't enough._

Soifon was at a loss on how to handle her former captain. The older woman looked so fragile and utterly defeated that she wanted nothing more than to pull Yoruichi closer to her body to keep her there, where she would be safe yet was afraid that doing so would cause the Princess to shatter and crumble into tiny pieces and be lost forever so she remained still, supporting her fallen commander on the stairs.

Yoruichi slowly pried her eyes open after what felt like an eternity to find herself still slumped against the stairs with Soi's strong grip preventing her from falling down any further with her silver grey eyes watching, studying her carefully. There was something else hidden in her expression, almost like Soifon was fighting some inner turmoil within herself as they remained together like this. Any other time Yoruichi would have enjoyed being this close to her little bee only this time it just served as a painful reminder of what she didn't have and what she didn't deserve from the captain.

"You can go." Yoruichi spoke, her voice raw from the emotions raging inside of her. Soifon stared back at her, shock and confusion setting across her face, "I've kept you here long enough. You can go." She sounded cold and unfeeling this time and Yoruichi flinched at the sound of her own voice as she pulled away from Soifon's arms before she lost the battle to sink willingly into the soft embrace.

Soifon instinctively tightened her hold on the older woman, "Yorui-" She couldn't get another syllable out as lips pressed against hers and she was frozen in place as Yoruichi's tongue found hers, desperately claiming the younger woman's mouth with her own.

Soifon was just barely starting to register the fact that Yoruichi was kissing her when the explosion on her senses was fading and she realised the pressure against her lips had vanished as had the warm presence her arms had been wrapped around only moments before. Reluctantly, Soifon opened her eyes to confirm what she already knew.

Yoruichi was gone.

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><p><strong>AN:** Hope you enjoyed this - I got very, very, _very_ carried away with this and it turned out a lot longer than I thought it would be and thats with me cutting off the ending as it wasn't blocked out enough. I will write the ending I planned and turn into a second chapter.

Also to answer elfspirit7's question - the game they are playing is SingStar Dance for the PS3 Move & added deatils now:  
>Kisuke's song = Unfortunatly, I can't remember which song I had picked for him. Sorry about that in case anyone was curious.<br>Ururu's song = Ricky Martin – Living La Vida Loca  
>Yoruichi's song = Pitbull – I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**You Can Go  
>Chapter 2<strong>

She blinked...and blinked... her eyes staring down at the paperwork she was supposed to have finished ages ago by now. She looked at the untouched pile of forms waiting for her to fill them out and sign them before focusing back on the one in front of her and blinked at it again...

She unconsciously started twirling the pen between her fingers...

Soi shifted her gaze to the clock and shook her head out of frustration once she realised she had been sat at her desk for several hours without so much as touching the paper work because she had gotten lost in her thoughts of her week spent with Yoruichi yet again.

No matter how hard she tried Soifon couldn't get the image of seeing Yoruichi appear so broken and lost out of her mind that she really had gotten nothing done in her first week back as she battled with herself over the thought of going to the world of the living to check up on the older woman, the confrontation came from the fact that she was determined to not get lost in her feelings like she had done before the last time Yoruichi had left, not when she had come so far in controlling them and besides Yoruichi had told her to go and she was certain the Princess would seek her out when she wanted to see her again..._even if she did leave right after kissing me._

_She kissed me – crap no stop! _Soifon shook her head attempting to rid herself of those thoughts knowing it was impossible as she felt her heartbeat racing and her body warmed as she remembered the kiss. It had only lasted a second but anytime she replayed it, it felt like an eternity had passed. She recalled the Goddess's scent and the sweet taste of her lips as they crushed against hers, that kiss had felt like a desperate plea, almost like Yoruichi had been begging her for something. _Begging...Bah! Yoruichi would never ever beg for anything, especially from me, she knows I would give her anything wil– _The sound of the pen snapping in her hand caused her to look down at the broken remains clenched in her fist as she realised what she had thought.

Soifon relaxed her hand and watched the broken pieces slip between her fingers to clatter onto the desk. She studied the bits of plastic and picked up one of the larger remnants of the pen, casually but with purpose turning it over and around with her fingers though her eyes drifted back to the remaining broken pieces and all she saw was her broken resolve to not let her world centre around Yoruichi.

_No, not broken. _Her eyes narrowed with disdain and with a quick movement, she swept the pieces of plastic off her desk along with the piece she had been holding, _I can fix this. I won't let her do this to me again. _Soifon opened one of the drawers and reached inside, her hand searching through the contents as she made up her mind to not run back to Yoruichi believing that when the dark Goddess wanted her company again, she would seek Soifon out as usual. This would allow Soifon the time needed to dismiss the kiss by telling herself that Yoruichi was clearly upset about something and she had wanted a distraction from whatever had caused her pain and for those reasons, the kiss had meant nothing to Yoruichi.

Soi's hand brushed up against something in the drawer, she had found what she wanted so she withdrew her hand and set the new pen to paper and began to fill out the form in front of her, determined to complete her paperwork.

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><p>The captain of squad two soon found her new resolve being pushed and tested beyond her limit and her squad members were busy staying out of her way as stormed through the barracks, currently fuming over the one person she now couldn't make up her mind on if she ever wanted to see again only to be frustrated at herself for feeling a stabbing pain at the thought of never seeing Yoruichi again brought her.<p>

_Yoruichi...Where the hell are you! _She screamed mentally, doing her best at not slamming her fist through the wall she was stomping alongside of as she sought some kind of distraction, knowing full well that nothing would save her from her own treacherous thoughts.

It had been two whole weeks since she had left Urahara's shop on the night she had found Yoruichi slumped against the wall and it seemed that said person either had no interest in finding Soifon to explain herself or that the Princess was purposely avoiding her completely by not even showing up in the Soul Society at all once she had vanished, leaving Soifon on the stairs after kissing her.

_That kiss..._Soi unconsciously touched her fingers to her lips as she replayed the kiss again, a light blush spreading across her cheeks. The hot sensation spreading across her face brought her back to reality; thankfully no one was around to see the stern captain standing with her fingers lightly touching her lips as she felt the blush deepen. Outrage flooded her system, her hand snapping back in place at her side and her strides became more powerful, eager to leave the area, mentally scolding herself for reacting so stupidly over the kiss.

_I've always known she liked tease, it obviously meant nothing to her._ She repeatedly to herself once again, still finding no solace in those words whatsoever and her conflicting emotions continued to fester towards the Princess for making her go through this.

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><p>Her right hand twitched as she heard the munching continue some distance behind her, no doubt Omaeda thought he would be safer standing behind her where he was out of her sight but she could still hear him stuffing his face instead of taking part in the exercises with the rest of the squad that he was supposed to be running today except when she had passed by to check up on him, she had found him napping with the squad members fighting amongst themselves.<p>

Soifon had made him pay dearly for sleeping by giving him the most painful wakeup call he had ever gotten by stamping on his face and was pretty sure he would be sporting a black eye by now, she had forbidden him from healing any damage done with kido as a further reminder to not slack around. With his most recent beating Soifon was slightly confused at why he was evoking her wrath on him again as she heard him continue to chew on whatever he has stashed inside his robes.

"Put those away Omaeda." She stated, knowing he would hear her clearly as she reminded herself to breathe deeply while she focused on a memory that would take her away from her incompetent lieutenant and wished she hadn't done so because within an instant, the illusive cat woman raced to the top of her thoughts. She was sick of it. There had been no sign of Yoruichi yet and Soifon had become sick of it. If Yoruichi wanted to avoid her then Soi was going to let her, the woman clearly regretted kissing her and found it easier to run off and leave her again then try and speak to her.

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><p>Despite her growing frustration towards the Princess she had managed to keep herself insanely busy by throwing herself into her work, more so than usual as well as managing to make time to catch up with the others as she had been doing so before, especially when she caught her thoughts drifting towards the Goddess of Flash which is exactly why she was currently sat at a table with Ukitake, Shunsui with Nanao sat at his side, followed by Isane who was beside her own captain, Unohana. She had hoped to just spend some quiet time chatting to Ukitake only to have Shunsui catch up to them both as they wandered around the garden, admiring the collection of bonsai trees there.<p>

Shunsui insisted that they go out for the evening but not wanting to offend Ukitake or Shunsui, she had agreed to join them only to have Nanao catch up to them before they entered the upper class restaurant, berating her captain for abandoning his work yet again except she ended up joining them after Ukitake calmed her down and with the usual laid back comments Soifon had come to expect from Shunsui.

She was however, pleasantly surprised when they entered the restaurant as while they were waiting to be seated, a different worker approached saying should they so desire, Unohana had extended an invitation for them to join her table and they followed the worker deeper into the restaurant till they passed through a beaded doorway that opened up to a small decked out area with a large table that could seat up to 8 people set up. Unohana was sat there, smiling happily at them all while Isane was sat beside her, currently munching on the meal she had ordered. The worker bowed low as they moved past him to the table as he told them to enjoy their time and he would be back later for their orders.

It was quite a nice little set up, the table was the only one there and the surrounding area was decorated with traditional plant life with a rather large water feature creating a very quaint yet extravagant feeling. It was even fenced off by a waist high decorative wall to stop any unwanted guests straying onto the property. This was obviously reserved for the restaurants more important guests and she was silently pleased about having the area for themselves without the distractions of other conversations taking place.

"It was nice of you to invite us to join you out here Retsu." Shunsui thanked her as they sat down.

"It is such a lovely evening, the more people around to enjoy it with the better." Unohana smiled back at him. Soifon nodded at this, the more people around to talk and listen to, the easier she would find it to focus without her mind wandering onto topics she didn't want to think about and after they had sorted out their orders, the group settled into a casual conversations of the past couple of days, recounting some of the more memorable events while complaining about the days where everything worked like clockwork and nothing happened till the sky grew darker and their waiter returned to light the lanterns around them which cast a warm glow over the table. Once the sake started taking effect, the conversation took a more foolish turn in Soi's mind; she had declined drinking the sake as did Unohana and Nanao despite Shunsui's encouragement for them to join in though she was still able to enjoy her time with them.

They must have been there for two hours at least till Soifon stiffened as she recognised a familiar reiatsu as the owner drew closer almost with a purpose as it became clearer that they were heading this way. Curiosity was getting the better of her as she waited for them to arrive at the secluded outside area and she wasn't left waiting very long either as she caught sight of her heading towards them. Soifon noticed the conversation slowly draw to halt as all the seated guests turned to acknowledge their surprise visitor.

Kukaku Shiba stood leaning against the wall, in her usual outfit and pointed directly at Soifon before any of them had time to say anything to her, "Oy Soifon." She roughly jerked her outstretched arm back over her shoulder, indicating behind her, "Need to talk with ya." Without waiting for an answer from the captain, Kukaku turned on the spot and walked off.

With a sigh and a quick apology to the seated group, Soifon excused herself before flash stepping away to land beside the gruff woman, still curious at what was wanted of her Soi was rather annoyed for her pleasant evening being interrupted in such a manner by someone who reminded her of Yoruichi so she decided to skip right to point. "What do you want Shiba?" she asked rather impatiently.

"You ain't changed much," Kukaku noted the death glare she was receiving from Soifon so decided to not play games with her tonight, "I need to report a missing person." she admitted with a sigh, wishing that she wasn't the one who had to tell the stubborn captain this.

"You have to be kidding." Soifon stared at the woman, trying to work out if this was some kind of trick.

"You are head of the Onmitsukido so it's you who has to deal with these type of things, correct?" Kukaku sighed again, she had told him this would be waste of time and it certainly seemed to be reaching that mark.

"This is true but that doesn't mean you have to seek me out personally when I'm off duty, you could have gone to the squad barracks and someone would have taken a report from you." Soifon explained pointlessly, knowing full well that Kukaku knew this anyway and assumed this was just some kind of ploy to waste her time. "Now excuse me while I return to my activities." With that she turned around, eager to leave the presence of the woman before her evening was completely ruined.

Kukaku watched the short woman stomp off, half tempted to let her go realising how stupid this was going to sound, hell even she was thinking it was some kind of strange prank but she did swear to him she would tell Soifon in person. She took in a deep breath, bracing herself for whatever reaction was bound to come from this. "It's Yoruichi." She watched as Soifon froze, standing very still as she absorbed what name was spoken and saw the captain begin to slowly turn around on the spot, a frown fixed across her face, her eyes narrowed in angered disbelief with her head cocked to one side questioningly.

"What?" Soifon's voice was surprisingly quiet and level for someone who looked like she was ready to explode.

Unfazed by the look that would send weaker souls running, Kukaku stood her ground, "She's the one who is missing." Once again waiting, judging Soifon's reaction to find out the best way to handle this mess.

"Tsk," Soifon sneered, not believing a word. "Now I know this is a joke." And with that she started walking, turning her back on the Shiba woman again.

"You think I believe this anymore than you do?" Kukaku called out, she wasn't known for being patient and the squad two captain was starting to annoy her. "No one has sensed her presence for nearly 5 weeks now and Kisuke is-"

"Well it sounds like she is has done what she's best at and left." Soifon snapped, cutting Kukaku off at hearing that name, her relaxing night out ruined by the way this conversation was unfolding. "Besides, she told me she often left for extended periods of time b-before." She scowled at her own stammer, unable to ignore the familiar pang of betrayal settle across her chest at referring to the 100 years Yoruichi had spent travelling the human world after leaving her without even a goodbye only strengthened at having Yoruichi run away from her again.

"Well yeah, more time away then actually being there really only she always told him she was going." Kukaku tried to explain while ignoring the jab at her friend made by Soifon. She knew Soi wouldn't be able to just move past it in a flash but the last she had heard and from past rumors running around; the two were getting along just fine so she didn't understand what had caused the snappy remark. Soifon was too busy cursing Kisuke's name to notice Kukaku's puzzled expression while she was picturing new ways of killing Kisuke slowly at hearing that the man she despised at least got a goodbye from Goddess.

"Look, the only reason I'm even telling you this is from the very fact that Kisuke is concerned enough to worry about her being gone this time round, he-he said she was…different." Her usual self assured tone faltering slightly as she recalled the strange description Kisuke had given her, it certainly didn't sound like the Yoruichi she knew, especially when combined with her going missing. If something had bothered Yoruichi before, either Kisuke or Kukaku usually found out around 10 to 20 minutes later when Yoruichi showed up, complaining to her heart's content and rounded off with a few drinks once she was finished so their time together would finish on a high note. "He also said you were with her last, did you notice anything…different about her?"

Shifting uncomfortably, not wanting to share the memory of the kiss Soifon hesitated – Kukaku placed her left hand on her hip, noting Soi's look of uncertainty to answer her. "Did you guys have a fight something?"

"What? No! No it was nothing like that…She said nothing to me." It was technically true Soifon assured herself, Yoruichi had spoken to her but it was only to tell her that she could leave and nothing else, she had no idea what had caused Yoruichi to look so defeated, it was the only word she could use to describe it as she remembered Yoruichi collapsing on the stairs before her and how she had to keep supporting her to prevent her from falling down the stairs.

"Ok that's just odd in itself." Kukaku mused to herself before sighing, shifting her weight to her other leg. "Can you at least do some kind of look out for her…oh and if you see her around do tell her to drop by so I can beat her up for making me drag my butt all the way out here because of that guy." Soifon smirked at this, taking personal pleasure in picturing that scene taking place even though she highly doubted that Kukaku could catch Yoruichi to actually lay even a finger on her.

"I believe I can do that." Soifon told her though remained doubtful, Yoruichi was one of the strongest people she knew and if she didn't want anyone to find her then no one would. Soifon was also pretty sure she would show up eventually, laughing at the way they had overacted to her absence when it was common thing for a cat to do after all.

Still even knowing this, she couldn't fight back a little nagging voice. _Even Kisuke said it was strange for her just up and leave and if Kukaku didn't see fit for concern she wouldn't have even showed up._ _What if something had happened to Yoruichi?_ She felt her heartbeat race, a thousand and one scenarios playing out in mere seconds, each showing different ways Yoruichi could have been hurt. She knew full well that any other time, the Princess would be able to avoid any dangerous situation. _But this is different, she clearly wasn't alright when she left, her sense of judgment could be thrown off. _

"Alright I will, but if this turns out to be some wild goose chase, tell him I'm gonna tear up his hat for wasting my time." Soifon told Kukaku with a sigh and the two parted ways, both eager to resume their previous activities. She rejoined the group at the table although she didn't explain what had been so urgent for Kukaku to pull her away out of earshot and she soon found she couldn't focus on the conversation in the same manner as before as her mind continued to play out scenes of Yoruichi being badly injured and left without anyone to help her.

Soifon ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to dispel her imagination, repeating to herself that Yoruichi had been an outstanding captain when she was part of the Gotei 13 and her strength and tactical skills have continued to be proven invaluable to the Soul Society after her return, she wouldn't become careless, no matter what had happened.

* * *

><p>"No!" Soifon screamed out in desperation, leaping back up to her feat, unsheathing her zanpakuto faster than a lightning strike, taking up a defensive stance, ready to strike at any moment as her eyes took in her surroundings. Her grip on her blade loosened as her hand began to shake as she realized she was in standing backed up against the corner in her bedroom, her bed sheets twisted in a pile from her scramble to be free from their clutches moments ago. <em>They feel so…real…<em>she thought, referring to her dream as she sank down against the cool wall, glad to have something strong behind her once she convinced herself it had all been a dream. _A nightmare, _she corrected, still clutching her zanpakuto protectively in front of her.

It had been several weeks since she had told Kukaku she would keep a closer eye out for Yoruichi and since then, her dreams had taken a darker and more sinister turn each night where she was forced to watch Yoruichi fight for her life, hear her call out to Soifon for help and the times where the she had been able to reach her – it always proved to be late. The nightmares refused to let up as the days continued to pass and this wasn't the first time she awoke with adrenaline coursing through her body from being ready to throw herself in harms way in order to save Yoruichi.

She breathed in deeply, forcing her body to relax after reassuring herself that she had been dreaming again. She slowly stood up, assessing the mess of her bed from where she must have been tossing and turning in her sleep moments ago as she sheathed her zanpakuto and trudged out of her room into the living room she had converted into an office many decades ago now and continued to move into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, her throat painfully dry and was silently thankful that no other quarters were close by to her own so she didn't have to worry about someone overhearing her shouting just then, or any of the previous times for that matter.

Yoruichi had been missing for over a month now and no one within the Soul Society had felt her reiatsu and if the woman had been able to sneak by unnoticed, she could be anywhere outside of its boarders, the land stretched out onto the vast wastelands as far as the eye could see and it would be impossible to search for her there by herself and still perform her duties as captain. Hearing nothing more from Kukaku, she assumed that Yoruichi hadn't returned and that no one had located her there either and although she had done her best to put off going to the world of the living, mainly because she feared if it reached that level then she was openly admitting that something must have happened to the playful Princess, Soifon knew it was the only available course of action left to her now.

She left the glass on the counter before heading back to room to get changed since she did not want to go back to sleep, too afraid to face what nightmare would play out if she did, so once she was had changed back into her captain's uniform she flash stepped out of her quarters to arrive beside the nearest squad member on duty, who jumped at her sudden arrival.

"I have business in the world of the living and it is unknown how long I will be gone for. Pass this information along to Omaeda at day break and remind him that I expect _all_ duties to be fulfilled while I am away." She continued on her way, not waiting for the man to reply in acknowledgement to her message as she headed for the Senkaimon that would take her to the world of the living.

Not surprisingly, Soifon encountered no problems upon reaching the gate and had been granted permission to leave on such short notice within a matter of minutes and she soon found herself standing in the middle of an empty street, lit up by the lampposts placed at regular intervals. Unsure of where she actually was, she got out her soul phone and found the way to Urahara's shop, grateful for her speed since it did not take long to finally arrive outside the shop.

It felt kind of empty without being able to feel Yoruichi's reiatsu radiating from within the building even though she could feel Kisuke's, she assumed Tessai was still wearing his gigai out of habit since they were no longer marked as traitors as she couldn't feel his spiritual pressure so was a little surprised when the door slid open with Tessai standing there to invite her inside and left her standing in one of the many rooms saying that Kisuke would be joining her any moment. Soifon wasn't left alone to her thoughts for long before Kisuke entered wearing his usual outfit.

"Well it's good to see you haven't picked up all of Yoruichi's bad traits." he spoke, yawning as he did while happily sitting down at the small table, grateful to be off his feet. Soifon remained silent, confused as to what bad traits he could possibly be referring to. "You left without saying goodbye," Kisuke explained "Though you're back now so what can I do for you at this nightly hour?" his tone lightened considerably at this.

"I was hoping you would allow me to stay here while I searched for Yoruichi-sama." She stated, hoping the man would not question her, she was on a short fuse from lack of sleep and being here felt like she may as well have stood in front of the Gotei 13 and announced her feelings about Yoruichi officially as it showed how much Yoruichi still had a strong hold over heart even after her attempts to fade out her feelings for the woman.

Kisuke tilted his head down so his hat hid his expression from view, things had defiantly become more interesting since Yoruichi had practically kidnapped Soifon but he hadn't expected them to take this turn. Yoruichi had vanished without a word and he was worried she may be careless considering the state she was in when he had seen her and now, a month later, Soifon was actually asking to stay while she looked for Yoruichi...it certainly showed him that the captain still had feelings for her.

"By all means, what mine is yours – I trust you can remember the way to the room you stayed in before?" he asked, standing up with a stretch, ready to show her the way if necessary.

"I do although I am going out for now and I don't know when I will be back." She explained before leaving the room via shunpo. Kisuke scratched his head as he headed back downstairs to continue his work. _Find her Soifon, for her sake._

* * *

><p>The rock groaned and cracked as the force thrown against it smashed right through it, causing the rock to split in half in a matter of seconds and crumble into pieces, not being able to stand up against the single punch thrown at it. Soifon clenched her fist anger, observing the handiwork of her latest outburst dispassionately. <em>It's no good, this is bloody useless!<em> Soifon trudged off exploring the underground training room without really paying any attention to what she saw. _Two whole freaking months and nothing! Absolutely nothing! It's like she's vanished of the face of the earth! _It wouldn't have been so bad but a few weeks of getting nowhere in actually looking for her, even with Kisuke's help – they had decided to track her down using kido again but with same results as always, the co-ordinates the spell revealed always lead them straight back to the Urahara's Shop.

The very first time this happened ended up with Kisuke and Tessai needing to stop Soifon from tearing the place apart while she swore her head off about killing the blasted cat woman if she actually found her in one of the rooms and after conducting a proper _safe _search they came to the mutual decision that Yoruichi had used some sort of kido spell, maybe even a great selection of spells to block being tracked – they were dealing with the former captain of squad two and head of the Onmitsukido after all.

Soifon's time in the world of the living was quickly drawing to an end and she doubted very much that the Captain-Commander would grant her any more time with both the Soul Society and Kisuke studying spiritual pressure levels on the lookout for any activity close to Yoruichi's, once back in the Soul Society she would be limited in what she could actually do. _Not that I'm getting much done here either, _Soi realised and resisted the urge to smash up a particular large rocky formation close by her.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no! She couldn't...she wouldn't have! NO! _It was as if someone flicked a switch on within her mind as everything fell into place as she took in the other large rock formation close by the one she had nearly destroyed, close to the top and lodged into the side, were two identical large wooden beam of equal length that she recognised from Yoruichi telling her as the makeshift gateway Kisuke had made so Kurosaki could travel into Hueco Mundo. _It makes sense, what better place to hide from friends than within enemy territory! I can't believe I never realised this before!_ She thought desperately; flash stepping back to the shop till she found Kisuke sat at a computer screen in his makeshift laboratory.

"Open up the garganta, now!" Soifon demanded from the doorway, not keen on entering the room, who knows what weird experiments the strange man had left lying around the place.

Kisuke spun around in his chair to face her, looking rather relieved as he threw a small object towards her which she caught effortlessly and she examined the strange bracelet like device now in her hand. "I'm glad you didn't connect the dots sooner, I don't think I could have run around avoiding your attacks and worked on that at the same time."

"What is this?" She held the bracelet away from her, glaring at the only piece of decoration on the leather strap. It was a small oval silver button, around the size of her thumbnail but what annoyed her most was the picture of Kisuke's smiling face occupying the oval shape.

"That is a beacon – once you go through the garganta I won't know when to open it for you unless you press down on that silver button. Doing so will activate the beacon which will alert me to your exact co-ordinates and I'll have you home in no time." He explained, clearly quite proud of himself, Soifon switched her cold stare from the distasteful object to Kisuke instead.

"How long have you known?" she spoke through a clenched jaw, he had better have a good answer if he wanted to have his lab kept in one piece.

Kisuke waved his arms around in defence, picking up on what Soifon actually implying, "I only stumbled on it in the night, on a sudden whim I decided to run a quick scan on Hueco Mundo and the readings go off the charts – she is there, that's for certain. I would have told you sooner but I needed to work out a way to get you two back so I've spent my day fashioning that handy device. Be careful with it though, I only have the one made for now and this will be its first field test."

_She's there...she's been there all this time – what the hell is she thinking!_ Soifon's pulse quickened as she was swept up in the relief flooding through her mind and body at having confirmation that Yoruichi was in Hueco Mundo. All that mattered now was getting Yoruichi out of that place; she could worry about killing her later for acting so stupidly. She followed Kisuke impatiently back down to the training grounds beneath the shop, her frown deepening with every step taken and she had to bite back her own tongue to stop herself from yelling at the man, demanding to know why they didn't just flash step to get there faster.

"You got the bracelet?" he asked her, as they finally stood in front of the two rock formations.

"Yes." Soifon answered with a nod, feeling the bracelet pressing lightly into her left wrist where she had secured it in place. Kisuke then leapt upwards to land neatly on one of the wooden beams sticking out of the rock face, calling back down to Soifon.

"Remember, just push it once when you are ready – it may take a moment or two to activate but the portal will open up at the location you pressed it at so in other words, don't wander off to go sightseeing." He added the extra detail just make sure it was clear, knowing full well she would remember every word. Neither of them was going to admit it out loud but they were both worried as to what Yoruichi was doing in Hueco Mundo and why she had entered the place without a certain way of getting back.

Soifon paid no attention to the incantation Urahara was currently uttering to open up the garganta that would take her to Hueco Mundo was, she was too busy trying to fight off the last traces of her nightmares in which she found Yoruichi dying and her last thought before she jumped through the now open portal she was that she hoped to arrive in time so that she didn't have to deal with those nightmares becoming reality.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So much for this being a one shot story and I've most likely jinxed myself saying this but I do intend for the third chapter to be the last one.

Again, I hoped you enjoyed reading this (sorry if it was bit dull, tried to give it an excting ending though)


	3. Chapter 3

**You Can Go  
>Chapter 3<strong>

The darkness shattered right before her eyes and in a matter of seconds, the darkness was now replaced by a vast white desert and she could see the buildings that formed Las Noches in the distance ahead of her. In the few moments it took for her realise she had reached her destination; her senses were overpowered by the strength of _her _spiritual pressure. Any other time Soifon would have allowed herself to bask in the relief that was brought on at knowing the Princess was close by except this time her spiritual pressure was spiking erratically.

The relief she felt was swiftly replaced with a growing dread when she noticed something else about the spiritual pressure, it was decreasing at an alarming rate – Yoruichi was getting weaker.

Soifon kicked off the ground and soared through the air, her heart pounding louder than the wind ripping past her ears as she raced towards the source of the decreasing power and not once did she let the image of her nightmares haunt her mind, she was determined to reach her Goddess in time.

* * *

><p>Yoruichi fell hard. Her body rolled countless times, absorbing the impact as she almost skimmed across the sand before she skidded to a stop. She lay dazed and gasping for breath, her muscles screaming out in pain. The kido gathered around her body extinguished like dying flames when she could no longer spare the energy needed to maintain her Shunko.<p>

She heard the monster roar triumphantly at having knocked down its opponent and the ground rumbled under its weight from each step taken from its advance towards her. She squinted up at the beast through her left eye; it hurt too much to open it fully. It stopped a few feet away from her, towering over her; it was the size of a 3 story house and was surprisingly fast for its size. The hollow carried itself like a bear walking on its two hind legs through chased after her on all fours like a dog – it was nowhere near her speed but luck was on its side this day.

For the Flash Goddess, defeating a hollow of this level would have been an easy task but she had been fighting constantly, barely sleeping since the time was better spent tracking down food in the barren landscape. She watched the hollow raise its right leg above her in preparation to crush her, it's foot was only just bigger than her and not for the first time Yoruichi found herself questioning why she even came her in the first place.

_Because I was weak, that's why! _And she saw herself giving in to the warmth and security that she always felt around Soifon and saw herself giving into those feelings with that kiss. _Gods why did I do that! I shouldn't have done that! _Anger consumed Yoruichi, anger directed at herself for the way she acted towards Soifon. The hollow slammed its clawed foot down on top of her. _I should have respected her feelings!_

Yoruichi hastily threw her arms up and caught the hollow's large foot, preventing it from squishing her like a bug. The giant monster roared in defiance and increased the pressure, pushing against her arms with more of its weight. Yoruichi focused on her remaining reiatsu, using it to strengthen her arms as she strained against the weight and spiritual pressure being pushed on top of her.

Just as before though, she felt her energy fading at the prolonged contact – the hollow had started to drain her reiatsu again but at least now she knew it had to have contact with its victim for that little technique to work. _I need to get away from it!_ Her arms shook from the strain of holding up the monsters weight as more of her precious energy was sucked away from her and used against her.

Yoruichi tried pushing back against the hollow but going months without eating correctly, rest and constantly pushing her body to the limit had taken its toll on her, that combined with it eating up her spiritual energy meant her efforts were in vain. She struggled uselessly beneath the hollow and realisation struck her that this hollow might just get too lucky if she didn't do something to break the contact soon.

"Die soul reaper!" The hollow roared down at her, energised by her spiritual pressure it stomped on her again. Yoruichi's arms buckled, her elbows now locked to her side still blocking the clawed foot. Only an inch stood between her and death. The pain in her arms slowly increasing as more of her spiritual pressure was absorbed by the hollow leaving less for her to protect herself from the monster's overwhelming force, her very bones screaming out in protest against the force.

She was aware of the hollow bellowing out in pride about finally defeating the rouge soul reaper that had been terrorising Hueco Mundo and how he would be seen as the new leader for killing her but her thoughts had drifted elsewhere so she didn't have to focus on the pain. Her thoughts were of Soifon. _I wanted to spare you from any more pain, that's all I seem to cause you...I had to force you to spend time around me and look what I go and do, I force myself on you further by kissing you...guess I messed up pretty big this time little bee..._

Yoruichi smiled faintly when she pictured Soifon with one of her rare smiles and allowed herself to drift in the warmth that image brought her and didn't stop the memories of their past from flowing, her smile growing as she recalled all the hours spent training with one another, how she would constantly tease her as a girl for acting so proper and her reward was seeing Soifon blush, bowing her head instantly to try and hide it as well. _You looked so happy when you unlocked your shikai; you literally blow up the grounds with your reiatsu that day. _She chuckled at that memory and felt her body visibly relax as she always did when she could feel Soifon's spiritual power. _It's almost like she is here..._

The next thing she knew was that the hollow's foot pinning her down, stamping her out of this world was simply put, no longer there. Her arms fell lifelessly by her sides as she stared up at the small figure standing in the air where the hollow had just been. _Soi-Soifon? _Yoruichi remained still, not believing what her eyes were showing her – Soi's reiatsu pulsating around the woman like a furious yellow fire.

* * *

><p>Soifon rammed into the side of the hollow and smirked at hearing a satisfying crunch and felt several of the hollow's ribs break from her shoulder colliding into it at full speed. It roared out in pain as it was sent flying backwards. She watched it tumble to the ground in a crumpled heap.<p>

"How dare you touch her!" Soifon flash stepped over to it mid sentence and drove her right heel directly into its stomach. The hollow contorted in pain and swiped at her to get her to off of him. Soifon jumped back, flash stepping back above where Yoruichi was and scowled down at the beast, she had felt an odd sensation from the brief contact with that hollow as she did when she rammed into him, _what was that just now? _She decided that whatever it was could wait while she checked on Yoruichi. Her eyes darted down to the woman lying in the sand, she wasn't moving and although her energy level was extremely weak, it appeared to have stabilised somewhat.

Wasting no more time Soifon pressed the button on the bracelet, activating the beacon – the smiling face of Kisuke starts flashing every second, adding to her distaste of the object. She flash stepped down to Yoruichi's side when she saw the hollow start to scramble to its feet from where she had knocked it down, it roared out of frustration from having it's victory taken away at the last second, she chose to ignore it, focusing instead on Yoruichi's condition. She visibly cringed at taking in her injured state.

Her outfit was torn and her usual bright orange jacket was missing, her perfectly smooth skin was now tarnished with half healed and fresh cuts, bruises and burn markings, blood was pouring out of a deep gash on the back of her left leg and from the slashes across her abdomen. Soifon found herself transfixed by the sight; the fastest, strongest person she has ever known who is admired by all for her fighting abilities and strategic skills was now fighting for every breath and struggled to even move.

"Yoru-" Soifon whispered and reached out to her tentatively, her mind and body reeling in shock.

"I-it drains reiatsu...on contact. U-use your sh-shikai." Yoruichi commanded through gasps of pain though lost none of her authoritative edge.

"H-hai." Having an order to obey gave Soifon something to focus on instead of the very real pain taking over her heart that she was too late to help Yoruichi and that she was going to have to watch her die, unable to do a thing as the sparkle in her beautiful golden eyes fades away to leave her forever.

Soifon unsheathed her zanpakuto and turned to face the hollow now charging towards her. She glared at it, as much as she wanted to take her time and exact revenge for all the damage it had dealt to Yoruichi, she needed to end it now so she could help her instead. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi." Her sealed zanpakuto in her hand transforms at the command and not wasting any time Soifon flash steps right in front of the attacking monster and stabs it in the centre of its chest before it could get any closer to Yoruichi. In the brief moment she made contact with the hollow she felt a strange pull on her reiatsu again. _That must be its absorbing technique, _she noted as she prepared to stab the hollow again, which was just starting to realise that something had appeared in front of it when she plunged Suzumebachi into the exact spot as her first strike.

The hollow roars in defiance and swiped at Soifon but its efforts were wasted as the poison had taken effect and it burst into particles before it could hit her. Soifon returns Suzumebachi back to into its sealed form and sheathed her blade as the last spirit particles of the hollow fade away. She takes a moment to scan the surrounding area for any immediate threats and finding none, Soifon flash steps back to Yoruichi's side.

Soi was distracted momentarily by the familiar ripping sound of a garganta opening up high above them. "About time! We need to – Yoruichi!" And for the second time now Soifon felt truly scared for Yoruichi at seeing her former mentor lying unmoving, having lost the battle to remain awake and had slipped into unconsciousness. Stamping down on the blind panic that was threatening to consume her, Soifon hoisted Yoruichi up, dipping her shoulder to get the unconscious woman onto her back so she was carrying her piggyback style and leapt upwards, heading straight for the open garganta, concentrating her energy into her legs to increase her speed at every step taken.

Soifon didn't really take any notice of how long it took to traverse through the darkness of the garganta; her mind was focused solely on listening to Yoruichi's faint breathing and still increasing her speed till her legs were burning in protest as she pushed past her limits until she saw light ahead of her. The exit! _Hold on Yoruichi, don't do this to me! Don't you dare leave me like this! _Powered by the need to get ensure Yoruichi's life, Soi's reiatsu surged through her body and used it as a speed boost to leap through the opening and land neatly beside Kisuke who was looking rather grave from seeing Yoruichi's condition.

Kisuke and Soifon locked eyes for a moment where a silent agreement was made between them for, without a word passing their lips, Kisuke helped Soifon lower Yoruichi gently to the ground and he instantly cast a healing kido spell, tending the more serious wounds first. Soifon would have helped with healing Yoruichi but she had pooled too much of her energy into running and even standing was proving a difficult task, her leg muscles were going into spasms but she refused to give in to the need to sit down and rest so panting heavily from the flat out sprint between worlds, she stood attentively, ready to get anything the man required to save Yoruichi's life.

* * *

><p>"Soifon."<p>

Soi's eyes snapped open and jerked awake at hearing her name being called. A scowl instantly settled across her face as she realised she had dozed off on the spot from over using her powers though she quickly surveyed the situation. Kisuke was now standing beside Yoruichi, no longer performing kido and summarised that she must have been out for a while since the deep gashes across Yoruichi's body had been sealed to prevent further blood loss.

"You should get some rest." Kisuke suggested, stretching his limbs from being knelt down for so long.

"How is she?" Soifon ignored his comment as she continued to examine Yoruichi's unconscious form – she still looked like she had fought a hundred wars and lost.

"It's hard to say...she's undernourished, exhausted, lost a lot of blood though I was able to stop the internal bleeding. I-I've never seen her like this, her energy is dangerously low compared to what she's used to so that will be a shock on her body and -"

"Will she live?" Soifon cut him off not able to hear anymore, he was making it sound like Yoruichi wouldn't recover and that thought was making her stomach turn inside out and left her feeling very nauseous.

That feeling doubled tenfold when Kisuke remained silent.

"Will she live?" Soifon repeated with more edge in her tone, demanding an answer from him.

"I don't know...it's – it's unlikely..." Kisuke's voice was very quiet, barely above a whisper as the gravity of those words sunk into his own mind. Soifon however felt each word slam into her chest as if he had screamed the words right into her ears; her blood ran cold and her body stiffened in defiance of those words.

"How – can - you..." She spoke each word slowly, fighting to remain calm, her own body shaking from rage till she couldn't hold it back any longer. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!" She screamed at him, kicking off the ground and launched herself at Kisuke. Grabbing his shirt just below the neck as she pushed him backwards and slammed him into the rocky hill, a crater formed from the impact. She glared at Kisuke in hatred, her face inches away from his own though he returned the gaze with a mournful look, seemly unfazed by her attack.

"I – I've never known anyone to recover from something like this..." He spoke just as quietly as before, he would give anything to make it any other way but facts were facts. He had done all he could to save his friend now all they could do was hope.

"SHE WILL!" Soifon spat back at him, curling her fists tighter around the material. "SHE WON'T GIVE UP!" Kisuke could feel Soifon's reiatsu building and realised that this outburst was simply the calm before the storm as she was swept away in her emotions.

"Soifon -"

"SHUT UP!" She screamed and pulled her fist back and Kisuke knew he was too late to talk her down from this as he felt her energy pool into her drawn back arm. He managed to catch the right hook she delivered in the palm of his hand before it hit him. The reiatsu she put into her attack shot out like lightning along his arm though. It tore his sleeve into shreds, exposing his left arm up to his shoulder. The energy didn't stop there; it shot through the rock behind him, cracking it apart in mere seconds, leaving behind nothing but rubble in its wake.

Kisuke glanced at his arm to see faint streaks etched into his skin, feeling very lucky that Soifon had been so caught up in her emotions to not mask her attack so he had more time to protect himself. He fixed his eyes back on Soifon who was now looking mortified at what she had done. She quickly dropped her arm and let go of him while stepping away at the same time.

"I – I'm sorry...I didn't -"

"It's alright." Kisuke reassured her quickly and glanced back to where Yoruichi was, feeling a pang of emptiness at not hearing her laugh the incident off with some joke about Soifon not able to remove his clothes fast enough. Soifon followed his gaze to Yoruichi's sleeping form and also shared that feeling.

"We should move her upstairs. Make her more comfortable." Kisuke said, moving back towards Yoruichi.

"H-hai." Soifon mumbled, her mind still reeling as she tried to process everything that had happened.

"You coming Soifon?" Kisuke's voice broke her out of her concentration and she saw him heading back towards the exit leading up to the shop with Yoruichi in his arms.

"Hai." She answered even quieter this time as she caught up to him, her body felt numb and she couldn't take her eyes of the unmoving form of Yoruichi, the only sign that she was still with them was her faint breathing. Soi found herself holding her breath anytime she didn't quite hear it and Kisuke's words rang through her head once more and she found herself thinking the unimaginable – _What if she doesn't make it..._


	4. Chapter 4

**You Can Go  
>Chapter 4<strong>

_What if she doesn't make it..._That thought had been rattling around her head for days now, constantly popping back up to the surface of her mind just when she thought she had finally stifled it from the last time. _She's a former Captain of the Gotei 13, she's has noble blood strengthening her, her speed and strength are outstanding. She can't die – there's just no way. She can't – she won't! _She pulled up all the reasons she could possible think of to banish the unwanted thought and feelings and knew it was only a matter of time till she found herself confronted by it again later on.

Yoruichi's ragged breaths caught her attention and Soifon automatically dipped the cloth in her hand into a bowl of cool water and gently dabbed Yoruichi's forehead to provide some sort of comfort against the raging fever that had taken over her.

Yoruichi was yet to show signs of waking up and Soifon had remained by her side, not sleeping since Kisuke had moved Yoruichi back to her room. Kisuke had tried many times to coax Soifon into sleeping but she didn't want to leave Yoruichi alone. Soifon had been startled when Kisuke had entered the room the next day with Unohana standing beside him; apparently he had sent a message to her requesting her help earlier that morning and having better skills at healing, was able to take care of Yoruichi's wounds better, she put bandages around the more serious ones and removed her torn clothing and placed her in one of the white patient gowns.

When Unohana finally allowed Soifon back into the room, having asked her to leave along with Kisuke while she worked, Soifon faulted slightly when her eyes landed on Yoruichi, still lost in deep sleep only now she was looking more like herself. Unohana had been able to heal all of her bruised skin and the swelling around her face was gone – if it wasn't for the visible bandages she could see poking out from underneath the robe and the fact that her spiritual pressure was still extremely low, Soi would have half believed that none of this had ever happened.

"How is she?" Kisuke asked. Soifon was stunned into silence by the healer's abilities, Unohana however did not share her disposition instead she seemed quite apprehensive.

"Her injuries are doing a lot better thanks to your skills Kisuke when you found her though she is still very weak. I don't want to risk moving her in this condition, for now she is stable and rest is what she needs. I will return to check up on her in a while but if anything happens do send for me right away." Unohana tells them both. Soifon didn't quite know how to react to this, it was mixed information and her mind was going in circles over it – _Yoruichi's doing better but moving her could prove a great risk to her health, there must not be much improvement...so what counts as better if she's not? Argh this is maddening! Is she going to recover or not!_

"I will explain to the Captain-Commander what has happened so that you can stay longer Soifon." Unohana added as she past by her to leave the room, "Urahara, a word or two if you can spare the time please." She continued out of the room with Kisuke offering her a drink. Soifon remained still with her back to the shoji as Kisuke slid it shut, leaving her in the room where she stood, not taking her eyes off Yoruichi aware that only one thing was certain – she wouldn't be able to survive losing Yoruichi again.

The first time had felt impossible to deal with but Unohana didn't give up on her and managed to pull her out of the depression but back then she believed that Yoruichi was alive and had laughed at the rumours of her being dead. It was messed up when she thought back to it now; she had refused to believe anything about Yoruichi being dead but was determined to kill her anyway. _That's because I'm messed up...if I hadn't been so wrapped up in my own head, fighting my own feelings I might have been able to spot it, see what was troubling you all this time...you could have been trying to reach out for me and I - I pushed you away..._ Soi remembered all the times they had ended up alone together, she had made sure to be on extra guard during those times, dancing between the lines of trying to be friendly yet distancing herself when she relaxed too much around the playful cat and remembered the subtle change in Yoruichi's behaviour at this. _If only I had paid more attention...you might have talked about it... _Soifon sank to her knees beside Yoruichi when she realised she might have been able to stop any of this from happening if she hadn't acted so distant.

"I'm so sorry, wake up...please...wake up." She whispered and felt the tears building, burning her eyes when Yoruichi remained lost in deep sleep.

"You should get some rest." Kisuke's voice caught Soifon off guard and snapped her out of her memories and back to reality. Yoruichi had been asleep for 4 days with no signs of waking up and had broken into a fever. Soifon's body felt stiff and cramped from staying at her side. "And before you protest, Yoruichi would put you to bed herself if she knew what you were doing." He added before continuing past the room. Soifon couldn't help but smile at the comment as she failed to stifle a yawn, a strange morbid friendship had settled in place between her and Kisuke since they both wanted Yoruichi to recover, it gave them something to fully agree upon. _Perhaps he has a point, I'm no good to her half asleep, _she reasoned and placed the damp cloth on Yoruichi's forehead before standing up, stretching out her limbs with a satisfying pop. Soifon started to move out of the room but hesitated when she glanced back at Yoruichi; even with Kisuke making regular checkups on her Soi was reluctant to leave her alone completely, she didn't want her waking up to an empty room. _This is ridiculous I'm just gonna be down the hallway!_

* * *

><p>Kisuke shuffled along the corridor, he had needed to grab some more coffee but decided to check up on Yoruichi before turning in for the night. He slid open the door and saw there was no need for him to really enter the room since lying on the floor next to Yoruichi was Soifon, fast asleep with her hand resting on the edge of the quilted cover keeping Yoruichi warm. Kisuke just slides the door shut, silently smiling at what he just witnessed thinking the two of them were being impossibly stubborn and all of this could have been avoided if they just had an honest conversation with one another, though everyone is allowed to make mistakes he concluded and continued on his way.<p>

* * *

><p>Yoruichi's mind felt dull and heavy, like she was coming out of some deep sleep and summarised this was more than likely the case since her body felt like a dead weight, muscles groaning in protest when she moved but she fought against the strong pull of peaceful sleep and continued to reach out to the familiar presence. She couldn't really remember why it felt so familiar but she knew she wanted it; it was unyielding in its strength and its warmth provided a path forward, away from the dull mindless sleep threatening to consume her again. Afraid that sleep would try and pry her away from the new warming presence she tightened her hold around it, unwilling to lose it again now that she had finally reached it.<p>

"Y-Yoru-" the familiar voice gasped out.

_That voice...it sounds close by..._ Thinking it was sleep coaxing her away from the first real thing she had been able to feel for what felt like a long time now, Yoruichi instinctively wrapped herself around the warmth, clinging to it desperately and ignored the pain coursing through her body from the movement and strain she was putting on it.

"Yoru-ichi-"

_Soifon? Why do you sound in pain? What's going on? _Yoruichi's instincts kicked in and she scanned the area, feeling out any dangers close by but couldn't find anything at all so focused on opening her eyes instead which for her was easier said than done since her eyelids felt like a ton of weights.

"You're-you're ch-choking me!" Soifon gasped out between gulps for air as she tried to pull Yoruichi's ever tightening arms from around her neck as the Goddess, now wrapped firmly around Soi's body cracked her eyes open, blinking a few times to take in her surroundings.

"Soi?" Yoruichi's voice rasped and she realised how dry her throat was and also realised that she was practically strangling Soifon with her grip. "Oh sorry!" and she quickly relaxed her arms though kept them in place, not wanting to lose the warmth Soifon's body heat was providing.

"It-it's...fine." Soifon mumbled pathetically as she struggled to control her emotions at having Yoruichi awake, moving and talking all in one go. Soifon had to fight the urge to wrap her arms Yoruichi and hug her back and not let go of her, conflicted over shouting at her for being an idiot or thanking her none stop for actually waking up and knew she'd most likely end up doing both.

Thankfully Yoruichi spoke again, sparing her the trouble of trying to work out what she should say next, "You look how I feel."

"Tsk." Soifon rolled her eyes at the comment. Yoruichi cracked a smile to hide the fact that she just winced at having stretched out her legs to examine her body's strength. She might have been able to get away with it too but with her body pressed into Soi's, the smaller woman had felt her shudder. "How do you feel?"

"I feel starving."

"I'm not surprised." Soifon laughed through a snort and forced herself to sit up, untangling herself from Yoruichi and waited for her to shift back onto the mattress and back under the covers. Soifon had fallen asleep beside Yoruichi again and was now very glad she had done so despite her body aching from lying on the hard floor, it was worth it knowing Yoruichi had not woken up in the dead of night alone since she would no doubt force herself up to get her own food instead of calling for help.

"Where you going?" Yoruichi asked with a yawn when Soifon stood up to leave the room.

"I'm going to get you some food. Try to stay awake, you need to eat." Soifon explained, noting that Yoruichi was already closing her eyes. "I'm glad you're alright." Soifon added quickly before leaving the room.

Not wanting to make a huge meal in case she couldn't wake Yoruichi when she returned, Soifon prepared a sandwich along with a drink and rushed back to Yoruichi's room and was surprised to find her sitting up, wide awake waiting for Soi's return.

"Thought I would have to wake you up." Soifon commented as she knelt beside Yoruichi and offered her the sandwich which Yoruichi accepted gratefully.

"Too cold." Yoruichi managed to explain through mouthfuls of food and used the glass of water to wash it down with though still managed to grab Soi's wrist when the captain made to stand up again once Yoruichi had finished the sandwich, "Now where you going?"

"I was going to get you another cover to keep you warm."

"Don't need it when I have you." Yoruichi stated and lifted the covers up for Soifon to climb under and join her. Soifon however seem to have forgotten how to move, caught completely by surprise. There was no playful glint shinning in her golden eyes, no teasing hint in her words, Yoruichi had been completely honest with her request for Soifon to get in beside her and keep her warm. She thought of it as a request only she had no choice when Yoruichi pulled her under the covers and although she made a feeble protest, she didn't stop it from happening and nor did she stop Yoruichi from wrapping herself around Soifon's body like she had done so earlier only this time, Soifon put her own arms around Yoruichi. If anyone asked her, she would tell them she had done it to keep Yoruichi warm during the night though she couldn't deny the fact that she was more than happy to stay that way for a very long time.

"You're an idiot." Soifon muttered under her breath and tightened her hold on Yoruichi, a little scared in case her Goddess vanished again.

"...I know..." Yoruichi mumbled back and pressed herself closer into Soi's body, savouring the warmth shared between them both as she fell asleep.

Soifon woke up with a smile for the first time in ages and felt more than content and very relieved that Yoruichi had finally woken up after being asleep for little over a week and she seemed to be her usual self though Soifon still wanted to know what had happened to make her run off to Hueco Mundo in the first place she wasn't going to push Yoruichi for answers just yet, she was still recovering and she would need breakfast. With that in mind, Soifon forced herself to get up and leave the warmth of the covers.

"Yoru-" Soifon stopped mid sentence when she realised the bed was surprisingly empty and she saw that Yoruichi was not in the bed and the door leading out into the hallway was open. At that moment she heard Kisuke laughing in the distance along with Yoruichi's laugh. _What the..._ Soifon got up and headed towards the sound, curious at first but when she established they were both in the kitchen, a frown formed across her brow and she practically stomped into the kitchen where she saw Kisuke leaning against a counter half reading a newspaper while Yoruichi, still in the white robe stood by the oven frying some eggs.

"So you're telling me th- Soi! Good morning, how'd you like your eggs?" Yoruichi asked, smiling at her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Soifon seethed, glaring back at her.

"Making breakfast, I'm hungry and I assumed you would be too." Yoruichi explained, seemingly oblivious to Soifon's building temper. Kisuke however was slowly edging his way towards the exit, hiding behind the newspaper.

"You shouldn't even be moving let alone making breakfast! You should be in bed, resting! If you were hungry you could have woken me up, I would have been more than happy to make you something." Soifon advanced on Yoruichi who simply grinned back at her sheepishly.

"You looked too cute to disturb though." Yoruichi pouted, crossing her arms for good measure. Soifon felt her cheeks burn at that comment, more so since Kisuke was present to hear it and she realised she just gave away the fact that she had spent the night not only in Yoruichi's room but in her bed as well. Spluttering over what to say back to Yoruichi, the creak on the floorboards behind her alerted her to the ever retreating Kisuke so she turned on him, grateful for the distraction. "And you! You were just standing there! You should have made the breakfast instead of letting her do it!"

"Eh...It just kinda happened..." Kisuke trailed off, ducking behind the newspaper for protection but before Soifon could start on him some more, Yoruichi cut her off.

"Oh lay off him bee, he just got carried away seeing my up and about that was all." Yoruichi patted Soi's shoulder to pull her attention away from Kisuke.

"Yeah, about that – Back to bed!" Soifon ordered and grabbed hold of Yoruichi's arm, dragging her from the kitchen, silently thankful Yoruichi didn't put up much of a fight since she didn't want to accidently hurt her.

"What about my eggs?" Yoruichi whined playfully, quite happy to let Soifon lead her away.

"I will bring them to you after I get you back into your bed." Soifon answered, stopping short of Yoruichi's room and indicated for her to enter.

"You know, if I knew you wanted to get me into bed this badly I would have made last night more special for you." Yoruichi flashed Soifon a flirtatious smile as she passed by her, grinning at Soifon's wide eyed expression as her face burned bright red. "Oh and by the way," Yoruichi added once she had settled back on her bed "I'm still hungry." And she chuckled silently as she watched a rather flustered Soifon mumble something about fetching her something before hurrying off back down the hallway.

* * *

><p>Soifon soon found most of the days passing by in a similar routine and soon preferred the ones spent with Yoruichi being her usual teasing self compared to others as it meant she was coping better with her injuries. The downside to Yoruichi recovering was the more awkward moments happening between them both when their conversations ran dry since both of them were unwilling to take the conversations deeper; Soifon was worried that she would slip up and reveal her true feelings if the topic was opened about Yoruichi going into Hueco Mundo and how she nearly died. Yoruichi felt equally worried that she would have to tell her why she had left and that Soifon would reject her feelings and that it would drive Soifon further away from her and what was left of their friendship would be lost forever so she did her best to act like her usual self and took to teasing Soifon as always when the two found themselves alone together for extended periods of time till she eventually got fed up and left. Yoruichi did feel guilty for doing so but at least this way she knew for certain that she had Soifon's friendship since she always returned to check up on her later on. She believed this plan was working just fine till Soifon entered her room one evening, wearing her Captain's haori once more, the first time Yoruichi had seen her wear it since she had woken up.<p>

"You almost look official again." Yoruichi teased and got a scowl in return.

"Now that you are able to move freely and take better care of yourself I see no need for my assistance anymore and must return to the Soul Society – I'll have to retrain my entire squad for leaving Omaeda in charge for so long." She added, dreading the amount of work she would have to deal with upon her return. Yoruichi did her best to hide her disappointment; she knew Soifon would have to return eventually only she had hoped she would have stayed longer, _great on top of all of this I'm still acting selfish and wanting her to stay against her will, _Yoruichi frowned at this thought so bit back her protests of Soifon leaving.

"Then you must forgive me for not seeing you off personally, thank you for all you have done." Yoruichi told her, rolling onto her side so she wouldn't have to watch Soifon leave the room. There was a moment of silence before she heard footsteps followed by the sound of the shoji door being slid shut and silence one more. Yoruichi tightened her grip on the covers as she fought down the need to chase after Soifon and ask her to stay longer.

"Is that it? A simple thank you?" Soifon's voice startled Yoruichi, to the point she was too careless in sitting up and grunted in pain from her healing wounds though pushed past it.

"What? Were you expecting a kiss goodbye?" she joked doing her best to lighten the mood despite Soifon's scowl growing at this.

"You did so before." Soifon stated without missing a beat.

Yoruichi froze at this, realising that Soifon was determined to continue down this route. _Dam it Soi why must we have this conversation, we were doing just fine without it taking place! _"It was a mistake." Yoruichi quickly lied, doing her best to look uninterested, hoping it would throw Soifon off and make her drop the subject. She knew that wouldn't happen when Soifon's scowl intensified even more.

"So you _accidently_ pushed your tongue into my mouth?" Soifon asked, not believing it for second and wished Yoruichi would just tell what had upset her so much that she would use the kiss as a distraction while concealing her own feelings about the kiss.

"I-I was upset and not thinking clearly." Yoruichi admitted carefully, wondering how she would be able to get through this and still keep her feelings guarded to protect her friendship with Soifon. "And I'm sorry I used you in such a manner." She concluded, holding out her last hope that Soi would just leave it at that and not push the matter further. Soifon clenched her jaw, ignoring the jab in her heart that felt like Yoruichi's words had just stabbed her there. Despite trying to convince herself that was the case for months, having it actually confirmed that the kiss had meant nothing was still painful to hear.

"What had upset you then?" Soifon asked, pushing past her feelings to see to Yoruichi's.

"It was nothing."

"With all due respect, it clearly wasn't just nothing for you act the way you did." Soifon countered.

"I just wasn't thinking clearly alright." Yoruichi snapped back, silently screaming at Soifon to just leave and let it go, there was nothing else she could say without it leading to more questions.

"I don't believe you. You would have to be acting very stupid indeed to just run off into Hueco Mundo to die."

"I didn't go there to die." Yoruichi was failing to hide her growing frustration.

"Then why did you go there?" Soifon advanced closer to her despite feeling very nervous, this was the first time that she could recall where she felt like she was arguing with Yoruichi since their fight together before she knew about Aizen's betrayal.

"Because of you alright," Yoruichi stood up to rid herself of the feeling of being pressured by Soifon's advance. "I did it to get away from you. I thought you would be better without me around." _Great now there's no going back...I hope you're happy Bee. _Yoruichi sighed when she realised there was nothing she could do now to stop this from happening.

"What?" Soifon visibly recoiled at hearing this, her brain searching for any action on her part that would have caused Yoruichi to think this.

"All I cause you is pain – Don't try and deny it." Yoruichi cut her off when she saw Soifon about to speak. "I messed up your life before and I'm doing it again right now, I forced you away from your duties as Captain and kept you here with threats of just catching you again...I-I abused our friendship and forced myself on you...I don't see how I am worthy of your trust anymore but you need to know, I never intended to do any of this, I wanted to do what was best for you...though I guess none of that really matters now since you clearly don't want our friendship anymore. I won't hold it against you and will continue to work professionally along side of you should the situation call for -"

"What on earth makes you think I don't want your friendship anymore?" Soifon interrupted her, completely dumbfounded as to why Yoruichi would actually think that of all things.

"I thought that was pretty clear by now, you've been acting distant towards me and in some cases outright avoiding me, like I said I had to force you to spend time with me. You've been slowly pushing me out of your life!" Yoruichi lost herself to her own emotions, feeling hurt and betrayed that someone she trusted her life with wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

"It was never for that intent!" Soifon yells back, "I only did all those things to protect myself!" She paused, breathing deeply to calm herself down now that she had Yoruichi's attention. "My world revolved around you and nothing else so what did you think would happen to me when that was taken from me. I had nothing. Anything that was me back then was because of you. The only reason I survived it was thanks to Unohana, she stopped me when I tried to take my own life since I saw myself as unworthy to be by your side since you left me without a single word. She helped me rebuild my life, it wasn't an easy process to say the least but she refused to give up on me and I slowly found a purpose for being again." She paused, taking a moment to see the shocked expression on Yoruichi's face at hearing that.

"Now that you've got that little insight into the hell I was forced through, maybe you can understand why I wanted to put some space between us. When you came back of course I understood the reason you left but I noticed I was falling back into old habits and I couldn't allow that to happen in case you left again. I had to protect myself."

Yoruichi simply nodded in understanding, containing the waves of relief and the feeling of fireworks exploding through her chest when she realised that Soifon didn't want to end to their relationship and that the captain still wanted Yoruichi in her life. Yoruichi also knew what she had to do. She would have to tell Soifon the truth.

"Soifon...the day you asked me why I didn't take you with me I told you that it was because I didn't have enough time to really consider each and every possibility and I also didn't want to mess up your life as I did mine and that I thought you would be safer and become stronger if left in the soul society...although those are some of the reasons why I didn't take you with me...there is another reason I never told you about. So ask me again why I didn't take you all those years ago."

Soifon blinked, slightly confused as to what relevance this had though did as asked, "Why didn't you take me with you?"

"I didn't take you with me because you were and still are my one weakness." Yoruichi admitted.

"What?" Soifon looked like someone had just slapped her across the face.

"Everything happened so fast and none of it was making any sense. My only hope of getting any answers at all would be if I got to talk with Kisuke and Central 46 were going to make that impossible, picking the easiest course of action, doing what everyone did just to set some answers to it all. Hell, had it been anyone else besides Kisuke even I would have fallen for it. I grew up with him Soi and I just knew it was impossible for him to really plot against the Soul Society, I had to take action."

"Here's where you come into it, part of that action I wanted to take was to go to you, to tell you what was going on. I wanted to confide in you all of my concerns, that I was actually scared about what had to be done and that my actions would mean people I considered my friends and allies would be ordered to hunt me down, capture or even kill me if possible. I was about to shatter my world as I knew it and I needed to go to you only I couldn't. A huge part of that world was based on you and if I went to you, I was afraid I would lose the resolve needed to go through with it. Seeing the look in your eyes when I told you I was about to break the laws we both lived to uphold for man you didn't even like...it would have been too much..."

"If you asked me to stay, it would have only have taken you asking me once and I would have done so to be with you and to spare you that pain of losing everything – I would have stayed and people would have died. Good people, innocent people would have died. Because of me." She paused, letting that reality sink into herself as much as Soifon."By given into my feelings I would have turned a blind eye on what was happening and no one could have known or have been prepared for Aizen's plans and the world we now know would be a _very_ dangerous place for both the humans and us alike."

There was a sombre silence between them both, Yoruichi hit by the truth of her words just as much as Soifon was.

"Y-You...would have...stayed?" Soifon asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes." Yoruichi stated again.

"Why?"

...Yoruichi breathed in deeply "...Because I-I..." She hesitated, examining Soifon's cold stance, she couldn't work out what she was thinking or feeling. It was unnerving. "I think I...I think I love you." It wasn't the best answer but it was the truth.

"You think or you know?" Soifon remained her usual impassive self.

"I-I don't know, I do but...it's confusing ok. I know I love you Soifon - but that's based on what we already have...and there's these other things too - Dam it I'm not good at this alright!" Yoruichi exclaimed, annoyed for acting so unsure of herself, it didn't help that Soifon was showing no emotion whatsoever. She sighed in frustration when Soifon remained quiet. "Look when you started acting differently and ignoring me it felt like you didn't want my friendship but then you started interacting with others and saying you were busy with others and it made me jealous and I had to fight the urge to just carry you off and away from them so you would be with me and I actually did end up doing just that so -"

"Yoruichi." Soifon stated, stopping the Goddess from rambling on.

"Yes?"

"You really aren't good at this are you?" Soifon chuckled, noting the discomfort Yoruichi was in at having to try and openly state her true feelings. Yoruichi folded her arms, playfully pouting though smiled at seeing Soifon laugh, it made her feel more confident that Soifon wasn't going to turn away from her in disgust in having her former mentor admit she wanted to explore their relationship further.

"Like you could do any better." Yoruichi continued her pouting.

"Then let me try." Soifon took a step closer, a rare smile crossing her face at seeing Yoruichi's eyes widen as she now stood at her side. "I knew a long time ago that my feelings for you were that of love. This is where you have to remember what I said earlier and how I had to fight with myself relentlessly on not viewing your constant flirtatious attitude as teasing and nothing else so I didn't risk what friendship we have been able to rebuild between us. I only acted distant towards you to try and control the way I felt about you so I could still have time with you."

"You have to understand I was a complete wreck after you left. If I told you how I felt and you left me because of that...I don't think I could survive knowing it was my fault. And that only in my wildest dreams did I actually think you could possibly feel the same way about me...so having you in my life as a friend was better than not having you in it at all..."

"But know this, my feelings for you haven't changed. All my fighting did was prove to me that will never change. I love you Shihoin Yoruichi and you don't have to say it back to me," Soifon added, noting the struggle taking place within Yoruichi at hearing those three words. "I don't want you saying it out of guilt or because you feel you should. The day you say those words to me I want you to know without a doubt that what you feel is true. It doesn't matter how long it takes you, I've waited a little over a hundred years for this...what's another century or two?" Soifon added with a genuine smile as silence settled between the two once more.

"How'd I do?" Soifon asked quietly, slightly concerned at seeing Yoruichi so still and quiet for any length of time.

"Soifon..." Yoruichi turned to face her, uncertain of what to say yet again. Soifon had literally blown her away and was pretty sure she still hadn't really taken in what had been said but she did know that the space between her and Soi was getting too much for her to put up with. Without any warning, Yoruichi wrapped her arms around Soi's waist and picked her up, pulling Soifon into her body as she did so. Yoruichi tightened her hold on Soifon, pressing her head into her collarbone, content to stay that way and smiled when she felt Soifon relax under her arms as she hugged Yoruichi back and let her head rest on Yoruichi's shoulder.

"What do we do now?" Yoruichi asked, her voice muffled from her having her head pressed against Soifon.

"You should probably put me down. You are meant to be recovering. " Soifon sighed, quite happy to remain were she was for some time. Yoruichi lifted her head up which made Soifon have to do the same so they were now looking at one another. Yoruichi dipped her head slightly so their foreheads were touching, resting against one another.

"I will but on one condition." Yoruichi spoke slowly, happy to make this moment last as long as possible.

"And what would that be?" Soifon asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she too, was equally happy to remain in Yoruichi's arms.

"That you stay here tonight."

"Of course." Soifon whispered back with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Well - Taaa Daaa! All done and I'm quite proud of this, I'm hoping I came up with an original idea for Yoruichi not taking Soifon with her as well.  
>Sorry it took so long to finally update this but I got stuck on how to have Yoruichi wake up but again, like how it turned out.<p>

Hope you enjoy reading this and a huge thank you for all the reviews receieved, they are very much appreciated!


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